


Boku no Goro Academia

by MeltyRum



Category: Persona 5, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22151932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltyRum/pseuds/MeltyRum
Summary: Akechi apprises the rest of the Phantoms on some mysterious business at the Diet Building, most of which involves Joker and Shido.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Takamaki Ann
Kudos: 15
Collections: Boku no Hero Academia x Persona





	Boku no Goro Academia

Sojiro locked the door once everyone was present, having flipped the sign to "Closed" several hours beforehand. Akechi watched him bring a cup of coffee to Haru, as she was the last to arrive. There was something pleasing and nostalgic about seeing the whole team assembled before him—though there was a conspicuous absence, which everyone seemed acutely aware of.

Akechi tried to organize his thoughts one more time, having been unable to arrive at a satisfactory sequence for explaining the relevant events surrounding the morning's arrest. He looked again at everyone, giving Ann a little smile before he started to speak.

"I take it you all have heard the news by now?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Ryuji, fidgeting in his seat a little and fingering the glass of cola in front of him. "What the eff is going on, Akechi? You arrested him, right? What the hell was Akira doing?"

Akechi rubbed his chin, again searching for the best way to begin. "The simplest answer is that he was looking for information, some of which Futaba and I have been exploring. It's all quite interesting, actually."

"Information?" Morgana piped up, a critical look on his face. "You mean Joker managed to get it to you?"

Akechi nodded. "When I arrested him. I will explain that in a moment."

"But what sort of information was he looking for?" Yusuke asked, a look of consternation written on his face. "And why on earth did he decide to do this alone?"

"I imagine it was to protect the rest of us if anything went wrong," Makoto chimed in, looking down into her empty coffee cup. "Well-intentioned or not, his behavior was illegal. If any of us knew what he was doing or if we otherwise assisted him, it's possible we would be in jail as well."

"As for the information," began Futaba, "Most of it is financial records or private correspondence belonging to Diet members. Lots of pictures, too. It's definitely illegal for us to even have this," she added matter-of-factly.

"Right," agreed Akechi, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Most of the information contains evidence of corruption among quite a few of the Diet members. There is a focus on one particular politician"—he was unable to resist a glance at Ann at this—"who appears to be connected to the League of Villains, though that connection is admittedly tenuous."

Haru's eyes, ever-widening as Akechi explained, spoke up: "Diet members connected with villains?" She shook her head, sounding incredulous. "Doesn't that belong in the hands of a special investigation—not heroes like us?"

"I have to agree," said Yusuke. "I understand that heroes protect the populace, but targeting politicians who partake in illegal activity seems beyond the emergency duties of a hero."

"Shouldn't we have this discussion some other time?" asked Ann, joining the conversation at last. "Whether Akira was acting heroic or not, he's our friend. We should learn what he was doing there, and why. Do we know what he was doing there, Akechi?"

"More or less," Akechi nodded, pleased to have Ann's support. "Akira attempted to contact me early this morning—his signal came from the Diet building. While I was en route, I was informed by the police that the trespasser—Akira, using his gun—demanded I be brought to the scene or else he would shoot himself."

"Huh? Shoot himself? That's pretty extreme, even for him!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"It was an act," Akechi replied, smiling. "And a good one, at that; if he had threatened the police, he would be in very big trouble. Regardless, I met him in the restroom, where there were no cameras. He supplied me with his phone and a memory drive, after which I arrested him and delivered him to the police. Needless to say, I concealed Akira's evidence. After explaining the arrest to my superiors, I was dismissed for the day—and from the case, of course."

"That must be when you came here," Sojiro said, who had paused in his dutiful counter cleaning to listen. "And spoke with Futaba. Heard something about a notepad...?" He sighed and shook his head, as if already a little exhausted with current events.

"Yes, the notepad," continued Akechi. "He was very meticulous about that. On the drive was a text file with the name of a picture on his phone..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Haru, looking around at everyone. "But how exactly did Akira-kun get this information? Pictures I understand, but did he use the Diet workstations to dig through these emails...?"

Futaba let out a growl of frustration, upset apparently with both herself and Akira. "He asked me to build him a data-scraping script. I didn't really think anything of it, since it wasn't anything complicated. I should have known he was going to do something stupid with it! He should have just trusted us—especially now that we know everything anyway!"

Morgana fidgeted, eyes cast down at the floor. "Now that you mention it," he murmured, his voice laden with guilt. "He did show an uncharacteristic enthusiasm for learning how I make my lock picks. I guess it's kind of obvious thinking back on it now—I'm obviously an exception, but of course making lock picks is suspicious no matter how you look at it!"

"Dang, way to let that slip through the cracks, Mona," said Ryuji, looking a mixture of disappointment and confusion. "I guess I hadn't talked with him recently, so I had no idea any of this was goin' on!"

"I have to admit it took me by surprise, as well," offered Haru.

"Same here..." muttered Ann.

Makoto suddenly stood up, ostensibly too anxious to keep sitting still. "I... had known that he had something on his mind. A couple of times, when we spoke, I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me." She closed her eyes and breathed, looking a little hurt, but clearly trying to push through. "When I asked him about it, he assured me that he would accept help from the rest of us when he had done what he wanted. I couldn't get anything else out of him," she admitted, sounding a little defeated.

Akechi nodded sympathetically. "Likewise, when I spoke to him a week ago, I could tell there was something on his mind. In hindsight, and after hearing Makoto's story, it's a little surprising how bad he was at hiding it. Though he was apparently thinking of the publicity stunt, he spoke of no longer being the leader—and also of how he could not request help with this. It rather sounds like he was prepared for failure."

"Funny you mention that," Sojiro interjected, adjusting his glasses. "The last time he was here, he wasn't exactly in high spirits. He seemed to be thinking about some heavy stuff—kind of rare, for a kid like him. Something about only needing one match for a fire, too..." He ponderously rubbed his goatee, as if trying to recall any other details, and eventually shook his head.

"He was behaving strangely when I painted him, as well," said Yusuke, nodding knowingly. "It is truly a shame that we did not catch on sooner; collectively, we could have devised a way of assisting him."

"Well, it's a little late for that now," Ann noted. "It doesn't really sound like it was anyone's fault. We know what he wanted, and how he did it, but that doesn't really tell us why he thought this was a good idea."

"It sounded like Akechi was getting to that," observed Morgana, hopping up onto one of the bar stools. "You were saying something about a picture of a notepad?"

"Correct," Akechi went on, "though before explaining the contents of the notepad, it would perhaps be more helpful to explain whose office this was found in—this is, after all, the office that Akira expressly came to investigate. While he retrieved quite a lot of data, there's one individual in particular Akira was targeting. I wouldn't be surprised if you were all already familiar with his name. It's..." he trailed off, the name for some reason catching in his throat.

The team watched silently, and for some reason Akechi felt their scrutinizing eyes much more strongly now. He found it hard not to recall how difficult it was the first time he shared this—even though he was only talking about Akira now, not himself. When he conjured his name to the tip of his tongue, Akechi couldn't help seeing that face—those glasses, hiding that contemptuous gaze—and the words perished in his throat, his body growing hot with anger, hands involuntarily clenching into tight fists.

Ann blinked, perking up as she sensed his hesitation. "You're not talking about... Shido, are you!?"

Akechi looked up when Ann spoke, feeling the haze of anger behind his eyes start to disperse at the sound of her voice. He briefly felt ashamed of his emotions and his need for a rescue, but at the same time was grateful to have someone who already understood. He gave her a nod of confirmation.

"Shido?" Ryuji wondered, looking confused. "I've never heard of him. But I guess I prolly couldn't name any of the Diet members, now that I'm thinking about it."

"Typical Ryuji!" sang Morgana, a smug grin plastered on his face. "It figures that _you_ of all people wouldn't have a clue what we're talking about!"

Ryuji glared. "Oh yeah? If this Shido guy's so famous, why don't you tell me all about him then?"

Morgana held his silence for a good minute, looking at his feet. "W-well, what I know isn't important! What's important is that we let Akechi finish!"

Ryuji gaped. "Hey! That's not—!"

"I think I know that name," Haru mused, ignoring them. "He was at the party where I met Shouto-kun. In fact, I think he was the host. He invited both my father and Endeavor."

"Yes, Masayoshi Shido has been popular lately," verified Makoto, brushing some hair behind her ear. "His message seems to be resonating with young and old voters alike. If he was found to be corrupt—or worse, connected to the League of Villains—there would be quite an uproar."

"If it's that Masayoshi Shido you're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised," Sojiro put out, shaking his head. "I used to work with him. His ambition was immeasurable. I watched a lot of people lose their jobs or end up forced into questionable quirk research because of him. It's not surprising he's gunning for Prime Minister, and certainly not surprising that he would be involved in something shady.

"Hold on a second," he continued, playing with his beard as he ruminated on something. "I think I said something similar just recently. Yeah. Akira came in while Shido was on TV. Asked me if I knew him, and I told him what I just told you. He also said... 'It's too bad that heroes like us can't do anything against people like him'."

The party was silent, allowing themselves a moment to absorb all of that; the only sound to be heard was the clacking of Futaba's keyboard.

"I don't understand," Yusuke eventually said. "Why would Akira be so focused on finding incriminating material about Shido? I can understand wanting to halt corruption, but what makes Shido special in that regard?"

Akechi took this as his opportunity to re-enter the conversation. "I'm sure you all are familiar with the story of how he first came to live at Leblanc, yes?"

"Sure," said Futaba, still typing away at her computer. "He got busted for assault when he was trying to protect some lady in his hometown. So he ended up getting expelled from school and had to come here. Except he didn't do anything wrong!" she insisted.

"I think I can see where this is going." Makoto said reluctantly, a glum expression on her face. "You're saying that the man that Akira 'assaulted' was none other than Shido. That Shido is the man who essentially forced him to move."

"Precisely." Akechi nodded, crossing his arms. "In a way, this was Akira's attempt at revenge. If he found nothing, it likely would have ended here. If he did find something—which, mind you, is the case we find ourselves in now—he would have involved the rest of us in acting on that information. And... he is not the only one who has a personal interest in Shido's failure."

Ryuji growled, scratching his head in frustration. "This is too much of a coincidence, dude! Akira's expulsion was bullshit, and obviously Boss and Haru know this guy other ways, but it sounds like you're saying someone else here wants revenge on this guy!"

"That is exactly what I'm saying, Ryuji," Akechi agreed. "And that person is me." He couldn't resist taking another glance at Ann before he continued. "Masayoshi Shido is... my biological father." He shook his head and held up a hand for silence, preempting the Phantoms before they could muster a response. "But I doubt he is aware of my existence. My mother was his lover, and he discarded her after learning that she was pregnant. Discarded _me_ ," he growled. “She passed away soon after my birth.”

Akechi grit his teeth, frustrated and embarrassed that he still had such trouble talking through it. "To be honest, I had devoted my life to ruining his. At some point, that goal fell to the wayside. Sometime after meeting all of you, I suppose—though it was still always in the back of my mind. Perhaps I would be in custody now, had Akira not beaten me to the punch." He paused, smiling a little, wondering how he might prevent the blush rising in his face. "Of course, it's almost too perfect now; if Shido is connected with the League of Villains, then that dream of mine may be easier to achieve than I had thought."

"Forgive me if this is rude to point out," Yusuke uttered, crossing his arms at the table. "I understand that this man is a truly foul person. But it's beginning to sound like the interest both you and Akira have in Shido is primarily a personal one."

"You aren't wrong about that," Akechi conceded, a little hotly. "But the truth is that there are criminals out there that heroes historically have been unable to touch—men like Shido, who abuse their power and step all over whoever they need to in order to get their way. I would urge you not to forget that this man wishes to be the next Prime Minister. Whether he is connected to the League or not, having such a callous, abusive, and deceitful man running the country would mean nothing good for it!

“If he turns out to be connected to villains and villainous activity, then that only compounds his guilt! I have no doubt that every action of his is self-serving—my existence is the scandal that proves it! But if I can use it to destroy him, then it will have been worth something!" Akechi could hear himself shouting, realizing his breaths had gotten shorter and shorter. He looked to the ground in shame, trying to calm himself.

"I can see this issue means a lot to you, Akechi," Morgana said consolingly. "But it won't do us any good if any of us get upset. We're still on your side; we just want to look at this from every angle!"

"Yes," Haru agreed. "I'm happy to do whatever it takes to help Akira-kun. But Yusuke is right; it ends up sounding like a personal vendetta—which I don't blame you for—and there isn't exactly a precedent for heroes attempting to control crime at such a high level. And as Akira-kun has shown us, it's virtually impossible to prevent this sort of crime while remaining within the confines of the law."

"If you ask me," Ryuji began, "the law doesn't even effing matter in a situation like this! Akira is our friend—if we can help him out while taking down some kinda criminal scumbag politician, who cares if we have to bend the rules a little!?"

"As someone who plans to join the police force at some point, it is probably shameful for me to say this, but I have to agree," said Makoto. "Heroes don't exist to make sure people follow the law—that is primarily an activity for the police. A hero's duty is to protect people, and that's all that Akira was trying to do. He didn't want to see anyone else get hurt like he... or Akechi... was. Akira may have broken the law, but I don't think he did anything wrong." She paused to let others process that for a minute. "Of course, I have a personal stake in this, as well."

"Please don't misunderstand," Yusuke implored. "I, too, want to help our friend. I just don't want to equivocate on whether or not anyone has personal reasons for doing this—or on whether this might constitute overstepping our bounds as heroes. Akira means as much to me as the rest of you; I'm sorry if my prodding might have indicated otherwise."

"Right," Haru agreed. "Freeing Akira-kun may be our top priority, but we won't be able to do that if we get ourselves in trouble in the process." She smiled reassuringly. "As long as we're all on the same page, it will be easier to come up with a plan."

Ann piped up. "I think that's where my thoughts are, too. But setting that aside for a second," she turned her eyes back to Akechi. "I still don't think you've told us exactly how Shido is connected to the League of Villains."

"Oh! Let me explain that one!" Futaba shouted, her hand shooting up into the air. "Technically Akechi found it first, so I can't really take credit, but... the connection is this. This picture was found on Akira's phone." She turned her laptop around so the crew could take a look.

"It's... uh... blank?"

"Is this the wrong picture, perhaps?"

"Argh, move, Ryuji! I can't see it!"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"It just looks like a memo pad to me."

"Wait! I see it!"

Everyone looked back up at Yusuke's exclamation. He dramatically pointed to the screen, as if everyone hadn't already been looking at it. "'Contact TS'! As clear as Akira's glasses! Imprinted onto the page!"

Everyone took another look at the screen, and realization slowly dawned on everyone there.

"'TS'?" Ryuji wondered aloud. "What the heck is TS? Does that mean anything to anyone?"

"If I had to guess," Makoto hypothesized. "It has to do with the man who led the attacks on UA, who goes by the name 'Tomura Shigaraki'. Is that what you were thinking, Akechi?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

"Indeed." Akechi was pleased that they didn't need his help for that. "Tomura Shigaraki recruited the villains and led the attack at UA. He was foiled, but if he were to receive help from a wealthy Diet member, things may turn around."

" _That's_ your connection?" Morgana voiced, sounding quite disappointed.

Akechi, chuckling a little bit, went on: "I have to admit it's not rock solid, as far as evidence goes. But Akira found it important enough to document, and he did it very carefully. I can only guess that he concluded the same thing. Needless to say, there's no possibility of bringing Shido to court with this picture. All I propose is that we use it to continue Akira's investigation. Or, to be more precise, _I_ can continue his investigation… with help from the rest of you.”

“It sounds like you already have a plan,” Ann intoned nervously, as if she already knew she wasn’t going to like what Akechi was about to suggest.

“More or less,” Akechi nodded. “Ann already knows I have been speaking with a suspected criminal by the name of Himiko Toga. She is a possible suspect in a handful of murder cases, and has also been trying to contact the League of Villains.” He pulled out his cell phone, finding a picture to display for the group. “I made contact with her very recently—she happens to be a fan of Crow, you see. I intend to use her as a route into the League.”

The room went cold and silent, his plan having stunned them a little more than he imagined it would. After he was sure everyone had gotten a good look, Akechi sheepishly put his phone away, trying to gauge the room’s reaction by examining their faces.

“That,” Haru started, “sounds incredibly dangerous, Akechi-kun! There’s no way a known hero like you could safely meet with those people!”

“Haru’s right!” Ann’s eyes were consumed with worry. “That’s going too far. There has to be some other way to prove Shido’s guilt!”

Akechi shook his head. “If someone has another plan, they are free to share it. I believe that pretending to work with the League of Villains is the simplest way of determining Shido’s connection to them. It also has the added benefit of putting an ear to any of the League’s plans.”

Makoto frowned. “Even if that’s true, what about this Himiko Toga? If we know she is a criminal, shouldn’t we try and stop her? Particularly if she’s some kind of serial killer...”

“As I mentioned, she is merely a _possible_ suspect.” Akechi looked around at everyone, making sure to lock eyes with each of the Phantoms. “That makes her the responsibility of the police; needless to say, if any of us happen to catch her in the act, by all means stop her. But until a solid link can connect her to the crimes, it’s up to the investigation to mark her as a villain—until the authorities have a reason to apprehend her, she is more useful to us at large.”

“That still feels kind of gross,” Futaba murmured. “But I guess I see your point.”

“Alright, but... how?” questioned Morgana. “Even if you found the League of Villains, pretending to join them is easier said than done. Everyone knows who you are!”

Akechi nodded in response, as if awaiting this question. “I can use my position with the police for protection. I believe I can convince my superior to make it a semi-official undercover police action. In addition, we can continue to use the fabricated drama that Akira designed. Perhaps after arresting Akira, my faith in heroes has wavered, and so I turn to villainy—or at the very least, part ways with the Phantoms. Until I return victoriously, with Shido and the League in the hands of the police.”

Akechi paused, considering that with a satisfied smile and a hand on his chin. “Something to that effect, anyway. I also, however, do not want to make it obvious that I am committing villainous acts. I believe that, with Yusuke’s help, I could have another costume made—something to protect the role of Crow to some extent.”

“You’re talking about Kanji,” replied Yusuke.

“Yes. I think that assuming an ‘alternate’ villain identity might minimize the impact on the Phantoms as a whole.”

“What about Robin Hood?” Ann protested. “Just about anyone would recognize that, too. If you’re forced to fight—or to commit crimes—are you just going to have to expose yourself that way?”

Akechi smiled thinly. “It appears the League does not act often, so I am hoping not to have to commit any crimes whatsoever. If I do, indeed, need to fight in front of people… that should not prove to be a problem. This will probably come as a surprise to many of you, but I have a second quirk. I hope it won’t come to it, but that may be the perfect time to employ it.”

Eyebrows rose all over Leblanc, but Akechi could tell that they were all beginning to experience fatigue from the surprises. He leaned against the counter, grateful to have a bit of silence while everyone started to consider the sum of his words. He looked to Ann, pleased to notice that some of the worry had drained from her face; he began to feel like she supported him once again. When she noticed his gaze on her, she returned his smile.

Makoto finally broke the silence. “As expected, you seem to have an answer for everything, Akechi. While it’s a little rough, I have to say that I don’t hate this plan. If you do find a solid line between Shido and Shigaraki, it will be virtually impossible to bring any charge against Akira—except trespassing, naturally.”

Ryuji finished his cola, bringing the glass down hard on the table. “Yeah. It kind of sounds like you’ve already decided. Just like Akira, I know you’re not gonna change your mind even if we complain.” He grinned wide. “I’m with you, Akechi!”

“I have to admit that it seems you’ve already gotten your plan more or less figured out,” said Yusuke, nodding slowly. “If the entire team assists, I am sure our chances for success rise quite sharply.”

“Speaking of that, there’s all the information we have on the _other_ Diet members,” Futaba reminded them. “Does that fit into your plan, Akechi?”

“That’s a good question,” Haru said. “While targeting a group of politicians is unusual, aiming to expose corruption among _all_ of them makes more sense than targeting just one of them.”

“Indeed. I think we can work that into the plan.” Akechi smiled, pleased they had begun speaking as a team. “Perhaps Futaba and Mishima can anonymously leak some of these records—say, twice a month or so. Emails and financial records pointing to corruption should make a decent stir in the media. Between that and whatever I might learn from Tomura Shigaraki, it should be possible to at least remove some of these politicians from office.

“Similarly, we can focus efforts around the team to try and free Akira from his prison. If he had other close friends, we can try to organize a movement for leniency in Akira’s case. He will be punished—there’s no avoiding that. But his sentence could be lightened; perhaps he pays a fine and loses his hero license for a time, rather than serving time in prison. Makoto-san, perhaps your sister could represent him?”

Makoto looked lost in thought for a moment, chewing on the proposal. “She’s part of the prosecutor’s office, so that is a bit of a strange request. I don’t mind mentioning it to her, however. I think she would be willing to, if her office allows it.”

“Good,” Akechi announced, nodding with some finality. “We can refine the plan as we move forward. I won’t make the same mistake that Akira did—I will make sure you are all aware of my movements. Remember: while Akira and I may both have a reason to stop Shido, this plan—if successful—could lead to the dissolution of the League of Villains, as well.”

“I can appreciate the significance of that,” smiled Makoto. “You can count on me.”

“You have my sword,” Yusuke said gravely, bowing his head. “And my brush, and my tailor.”

“And my ax!” Haru giggled, looking quite pleased with herself.

“Those politicians will never know what hit them!” Futaba jabbered excitedly.

“You already know I’m ready to help, Goro,” Ann professed, a confident grin lighting up her face.

Morgana jumped up and down on his stool excitedly, contrasting slightly with the determined look on his face. “Akira’s done so much for us as our leader! We all owe it to him to try our best to save him!”

“Hell yeah!” shouted Ryuji. “I’ve got his back no matter what! Though... not to ruin the mood or anything, but I wanted to talk about that. I know you’ve sort of taken over as leader, Akechi, and that’s fine. But maybe when we have Akira back… we shouldn’t really have a leader anymore? Maybe him being the leader is why we’re in this situation to begin with.”

“I agree.” Makoto played with her hands a little bit, as if considering her next words. “Akira has done a lot for us, and he didn’t really like to rely on people for help. I think being the leader must have put a lot of pressure on him...”

Akechi allowed himself a moment to absorb that before he spoke: “’Heavy is the head that wears the crown’,” he murmured, smiling a little sadly. “I think it would make sense for us to abolish the post when this is over. At the end of the day, it’s preferable for the Phantoms to be on equal standing, with equal responsibilities. If Akira didn’t want to burden us… we’ll just have to show him that we can handle it.”

“Alright!” Sojiro yelled, clapping his hands together once. “It sounds like you kids have figured out what you’re going to do. Consider this last call for curry; I need to close up _sometime_ tonight.”

At that, everyone’s attention shifted to food, and Akechi fell in with the rest of them in requesting a plate. As the tone transitioned to one of joviality, Akechi felt relief at the plan they had assembled. He exchanged smiles with Ann, and reminded himself to speak with Futaba, Yusuke, and Makoto after their meal; things were still only getting started, after all.

***

“Still nothing, sir,” came the voice on the phone. He was clearly on speaker phone, as Shido could make out vague grunts of pain and the sound of fists on flesh. “Hasn’t told us anything. Not a word on why he was there. For all we know so far, he just sleepwalked into the Diet building."

“That’s impossible,” Shido spat, scoffing at the suggestion. "Find out what he knows, whatever the cost. Just make sure he's presentable for his visitors. It's enough if he can walk."

He slammed the phone down in frustration, reaching for his untouched glass of whiskey and downing it in one swallow. “Incompetent fools,” he murmured to himself. After he refilled his glass, he sat down at his laptop, which had been showing the same picture since this morning.

Shido played the clip again, watching the unmasked Joker stroll into his office for the hundredth time that day. It almost made him sweat. The brat had practically made a beeline for his office—he went there first, and spent the most time in there.

What the hell was he up to? Shido tried to assure himself that there’s nothing he could possibly have found. His workstation was locked. There would be no incriminating notes in his desk. He was safe. If Joker spent so long in the office, he was probably just scrambling to find something.

 _Right_?

But what could he be looking for? That mess of hair. It reminded Shido of something, but he couldn’t place what…

He refilled his glass and pulled his private phone from his pocket. Examining the contacts, he stopped at “TS”. Was Joker really working on his own? Did he get caught on purpose? Were the rest of the Phantoms in on this plan? Shido stared at his phone for a moment, weighing the benefits of contacting Shigaraki at a time like this.

He absolutely didn’t want to show weakness. A considered response would be most appropriate. Showing fear or concern over something like this would not do—they weren’t exactly friends, and Shigaraki was smart enough to take advantage of every inch. Shido could practically already hear Shigaraki laughing at him.

He put the phone away.

The only thing to do was wait. Sooner or later, Joker would slip up and say something stupid. Whether the words were elicited under duress was no one’s concern. No one had to know, after all.

Shido resumed watching the clip, observing Joker go in and out of every single office. Seeing this criminal walk around as if he owned the Diet building… it frustrated him. Made him sick. He continued to convince himself that the odds of Joker locating anything were incredibly small, but he couldn’t prevent the gnawing feeling that he shouldn’t be so confident.

Could he realistically take action against the Phantoms? Would it be especially suspicious, directly after Joker was caught? But he went into every office. If something _happened_ to them, any one of those politicians could have been behind it; that investigation would go nowhere. Shido would be safe.

Unless Joker really did have something.

His anger boiling over, Shido finished his glass—some of the whiskey spilling into his shirt—before throwing it in a rage against the wall. “That brat can’t stop me! He has no idea what I am after; has _no_ idea what it means to cross me!” He panted, watching once more as his office was violated. This punk student playing hero… he wouldn’t find anything on Shido.

And if he had, Shido would ensure that he never got the opportunity to share it.


End file.
